Ed of Affection
by Angelic Guardian
Summary: The kids of the cul-de-sac have finally befriended the Eds, yet Double D can't help but notice that there still seems to be something bothering Eddy. Oneshot. Post-Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show. Slight Edd/Eddy.


**Author's Note:** I remember happening to catch Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show by chance back when it originally aired on Cartoon Network. It really was the perfect series finale. We got to see another character outside the twelve kids (and Plank), but, more importantly, we got to see some truly amazing character growth from Eddy, and the Eds were finally accepted by the other kids, which couldn't have been a more satisfying conclusion, if you ask me.

 **Disclaimer:** Ed, Edd n Eddy © Danny Antonucci

* * *

The journey back to the cul-de-sac proved to be a long and laborious one, not made any easier by the physical injuries Eddy in particular had sustained from his older brother's beatings. However, the painful sting from his wounds managed to subside, thanks largely to the newfound friendship he found in the kids of the cul-de-sac.

They were all smiles on their way back home, laughing and singing and joking around with one another as though they'd all been pals forever, making up for all the years they'd been outsiders of the social group. At last, all was forgiven, and it marked a clean slate, a permanent acceptance among all the kids.

In fact, the Eds welcomed the camaraderie with open arms, and, as promised, they enjoyed a feast of jawbreakers back at Kevin's house. They all ate as many spherical sugar-coated treats as they could, until their stomachs ached and their tongues were raw. They played games and watched movies and had one of the greatest days of their young lives.

A long day of endless fun had taken its toll on Ed in particular, as he'd wound up falling asleep in front of the TV late in the evening. Exhausted themselves, the other kids said their goodbyes and departed to their own homes. Sarah even gave her older brother a big kiss on the cheek before she left, surprising everyone, though she made them all swear they'd never breathe a word about it to Ed. She didn't want him getting used to the idea of her being sweet and cuddly to him _all_ the time. She did have a reputation to uphold, after all.

On that note, Double D and Eddy were left to loop one of Ed's arms around each of their shoulders and drag their sleeping friend home. His head dropped to his chest as he snored softly, out like a light.

"You guys cool to hang out tomorrow?" Kevin asked, leaning against his doorframe.

"You bet we are," Eddy said. "And, hey, thanks again for all the jawbreakers. I felt like my gut was gonna burst with how many I ate."

"Anytime, pal. In fact, there'll be plenty more jawbreakers where those came from," Kevin said. "Anyway, later, dudes."

He held up a fist then, holding it out to Eddy, whose eyes widened for a moment, before he pinched them shut and recoiled, trembling hard as he waited for the blow. When it didn't come, he willed himself to open his eyes, only to see Kevin standing there with his fist still extended and a confused frown on his face. Eddy, himself, cracked a grin and let out a slight chuckle.

"Old habits," he said, and finally he raised a hand and bumped his knuckles against Kevin's fist.

"No sweat, bud. We're cool," Kevin said. "'Night, dor—" Now Kevin's eyes widened as he caught himself just in time before he could utter his longtime, go-to insult. He chuckled as well and rubbed a hand over the back of his head, looking genuinely embarrassed over his near slip-up. "Old habits."

"I hear ya. No big deal," Eddy said, and he grinned good-heartedly, letting him know all was forgiven. "Catch you tomorrow, Kev."

Kevin waved goodbye and shut the door, while Double D and Eddy began the short walk to Ed's house, lugging their slumbering friend between the two of them.

"Well, that was certainly quite the turn of events, wouldn't you say, Eddy?" Double D asked.

He was much more jovial and carefree than he'd felt in a long time. After the physical, not to mention emotional, agony he and his friends had endured the day prior, and even that morning, Double D couldn't help but feel exceedingly grateful to have finally gained a newfound respect from their peers. Granted, he was almost certain the popularity would wear off, but even so, he knew the days of being excluded were far behind them. At long last, they had made true friends with the other residents of the cul-de-sac, and Double D couldn't have been more pleased about it.

"It's rather humorous to think that all it took to finally win over the other kids' approval was nothing more than enduring some brutal rough-housing from an antagonizing and untrustworthy older sibling, don't you think?"

Double D smiled expectantly, awaiting perhaps a small laugh from Eddy, or at least a word of agreement. Instead, however, he was met with nothing more than unsettling silence as Eddy simply stared down at the sidewalk with an emotionless look on his face.

Meanwhile, the smile on Double D's face dropped into a worried frown. Eddy was, by far, the most talkative person he knew, not to mention an unnecessarily loud one at that. The fact that he was being so uncharacteristically quiet now only led Double D to believe that something was seriously troubling his friend, and he knew he needed to find out what it was so that he could do his best to help alleviate him of his troubles.

"Eddy, is something the matter?" Double D asked, growing increasingly concerned by the second when Eddy didn't so much as glance at him. He bit his lip and shifted his gaze. "I must admit, I'm quite baffled by your sudden change in mood, as you were so happy today, and why shouldn't you be? After years of being ostracized, you, Ed and I were finally able to hang out with the other children and genuinely enjoy ourselves without fear of facing rejection, humiliation or any type of physical harm. Given that, I can only deduce that there is potentially a separate issue weighing on your mind, and if that is indeed the case, I want you to know you can rely on me as a confidant."

When Eddy finally looked at him, Double D was surprised to see what he could only assume was _hurt_ in his friend's eyes.

"It just stinks, y'know?" Eddy said. "You spend your whole life looking up to a guy, letting yourself get your hopes up, thinking maybe things'll be different this time, maybe my brother won't be such a jerk and actually treat me with some respect for once, but who am I kidding? Nobody, that's who. I tell ya, Double D, my brother is nothing but a colossal d-bag."

"Eddy!" Double D said admonishingly.

Eddy merely gave him a sideways glance as he said, "What? Dirtbag."

Double D blinked, reeling in his misguided disapproval as a result of his apparent misunderstanding, and he found that all he could do was meekly reply, "Oh."

For a moment, he was quiet, with nothing but the sound of Ed's snoring and his feet dragging across the pavement to fill the silence between himself and Eddy, until he spoke up again.

"You know, Eddy, while I by no means condone your older brother's rude and relentlessly violent behavior, I am a firm believer in giving people a second chance, and all I can do is strongly encourage you to consider doing the same. Who knows, your older brother may very well be a kind and gentle soul beneath the insensitive, garish brute he's thus far proved himself to be."

Again Eddy looked at Double D, and this time he didn't hold his breath as he said, "So, you mean to tell me you'd forgive my brother even after he called you my _girlfriend?"_

Double D halted so abruptly that Ed involuntarily slipped from his grasp. He hit the ground with a hard _thwack,_ taking Eddy down with him. Double D's eyes bulged as he scrambled over the two of them.

"Oh, dear. Eddy, are you all right?"

Eddy released a grunt as he shoved the still dead-asleep Ed off of him and helped himself up, rubbing his shoulder as he said, "Yeah, yeah. Coulda given me a warning, though."

"What about Ed?" Double D asked. "He didn't hurt his head, did he?"

"You kidding me?" Eddy said. "The guy's head is full of stuffing." Before Double D could make a reach for Ed, Eddy waved him off. "Take five, Double D. I got him."

To prove it, he grabbed Ed by the ankles and hauled him over his shoulder with a surprisingly minimal amount of struggle, dragging Ed's back along the sidewalk.

Double D stood there a moment, fingers curling and uncurling, his natural anxiety taking over, as the obvious safety concerns this raised were nothing to take lightly. Finally, though, he caught up with Eddy, who'd dragged their snoozing friend across his lawn and up to his bedroom window.

"Kid weighs a ton," Eddy said, letting go of Ed to push open the window. He grabbed Ed once more and proceeded to shove his sleeping form through the window. Ed didn't so much as stir, proving to be nothing more than a pile of dead weight, but that still didn't stop Double D's worrisome thoughts from flaring uncontrollably yet again. However, his thoughts were cut short when Eddy paused and said, "A little help?"

"Oh," Double D said. "Yes, of course."

He walked over and took his place on the other side of Ed. As Eddy clasped a hand over Ed's chest, Double D, unknowingly, placed his hand on top of Eddy's hand. As soon as he made contact, Eddy froze, as did Double D. They both looked down, and Double D immediately withdrew his hand.

"Sorry," he said shyly, trying, in vain, to ignore the sudden heat that swept up in his cheeks.

Eddy's face had noticeably reddened as well, though he attempted to come off as nonchalant as he resumed pushing Ed through the window. "Just forget it," was all he said in return.

Double D, however, wasn't willing to "just forget it." In fact, whether it was a result of his inquisitive nature, or his own underlying feelings he may or may not have been suppressing up until now, he found himself saying, in a rare, sudden rush of boldness, "Eddy, I truly hope you won't allow what your brother said to affect our friendship. I don't want to lose you."

Eddy stopped again, looking straight at Double D. A beat of silence passed, until he said, bluntly, "You think _I_ want to lose _you?"_

Double D's heart stuttered unexpectedly, though on the outside, he simply stood there, waiting patiently, like the good listener that he was, for Eddy to continue. Sure enough, the usual gruffness in Eddy's voice grew soft when he spoke again.

"You're too good for us, Double D, you know that? I mean, let's face it, without you, me and Ed are just a couple of idiots. You know it and I know it. Sometimes I think it's only a matter of time before you realize for yourself one day that you'd be way better off without us. And, you know what, I wouldn't even blame you. Look at all the trouble I've gotten us in over the years. I'm just a screw-up, but you, you're the smart one. The good one. You deserve a way better friend than me."

For the first time in his life, Double D found himself speechless. There wasn't a single word in his entire vocabulary he could come up with to express the feeling that struck him in that moment. It was a unique combination of boundless awe and unforeseen sympathy. He put a hand to his chest, directly over his heart, only to reach out and touch Eddy's shoulder.

"Eddy, you and Ed mean the world to me," he said with such candor that he truly didn't care how cheesy it likely came across. He just needed Eddy to know how much his friendship meant to him. "I would never think to abandon either one of you. You're both my best friends. Regardless of any hardships we may face, that's never going to change."

Eddy stared up at him with big, shining eyes. A profound silence now consumed the two of them, yet, at that point, Double D half-expected Eddy to brusquely point out that he was touching him and that he needed to let go. Instead, he was taken by complete and utter surprise as Eddy drew him into a hug. For a moment, all Double D could do was stand there, astounded, until he, too, brought his arms around Eddy, embracing him with all the warmth he had.

"Thanks, Double D," Eddy said, his voice unnaturally small, which only made Double D smile tenderly.

"Why, Eddy, look at you, going soft. I must say, it's quite becoming."

At that, Eddy pulled back, wide-eyed, only to crack an impish grin.

"Heh. Yeah, right. Quit sweet talkin' me, Sockhead," he said with a playful shove to Double D's shoulder that, even in its lightness, had the weaker boy staggering back slightly.

Upon regaining his footing, Double D paused, his cheeks coloring in a charming blush.

"Oh," he said, and he chuckled lightheartedly despite his modesty. "Yes, right."

It was at that moment that Ed, having roused from his sleep, flashed a wide, knowing grin, one that indicated he was about to apply one of his extremely rare moments of keen insight.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, pals o' mine," he said, startling the both of them. They looked down at their amused friend, who ticked an index finger back and forth. His eyelids drooped as he said, "Don't you know teasing is a sign of infection?"

"Say what?" Eddy asked, his face twisting in confusion, only for his expression to morph into one of annoyance as he lowered his brows. "You sayin' I got a rash?"

Double D couldn't help but chuckle again. "I believe you mean 'affection,' Ed," he said. "Teasing is a sign of affection."

"Wink, wink," Ed said, holding up a hand with his thumb and index finger pressed together.

"Go back to sleep, Lumpy," Eddy said. He brought a foot to Ed's shoulder and, with a single push, Ed crashed heavily to the ground.

Double D jumped and immediately scurried over, peering inside to check to see if Ed was okay, only to find him snoring soundly once more. With a relieved sigh, he shut the window and joined Eddy on his way home.

"He's certainly more perceptive than I give him credit for," Double D said.

"As if," Eddy said. "Which reminds me, if you ever tell anyone we hugged, I swear I'll—"

Double D laid a hand atop Eddy's shoulder, silencing the shorter boy. "Please, Eddy, for once, don't spoil the moment."

Eddy blinked, taken aback, his cheeks flushing again. Suddenly, he brought up a hand and wrapped it around Double D in another snug and powerful embrace.

"Guess I am goin' soft."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I haven't written slash in years, and this fic was admittedly heavier on the friendship than it was on the slash, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

On another note, apparently it's spelled "Double Dee" and not "Double D" as I'd originally thought (at least, according to the episode Ed, Edd n Eddy's Hanky Panky Hullabaloo). However, the latter personally makes more sense to me than the former, so I prefer to go with that.

Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. :)


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